In light of this fascinating article on the BBC News site, secondary school students took a survey last week about their sleep habits. Among other things, the article says:
Sleep deprivation is a significant hidden factor in lowering the achievement of school pupils, according to researchers carrying out international education tests.
It is a particular problem in more affluent countries, with sleep experts linking it to the use of mobile phones and computers in bedrooms late at night.
This second sentence, in particular, caught my eye because here in the ABIS community, although we are multinational in makeup, we most certainly are what the researchers would call “affluent”. We (and the children) have all the latest electronic gadgets–phones, iPads, plasma TVs, etc.. According to the article, “sleep experts point to a particular problem due to technology in children’s bedrooms – specifically the use of screens on smartphones or laptops late at night.”
So I made a short survey in which I asked the students about their bedtimes, use of electronics, sleepiness at school and other related topics. For full survey results click here: Sleep Survey
Though this is not a totally scientific survey due mostly to the small sample size, I believe the results show some noteworthy data. For example:
- Almost one third (31%) of all secondary students go to bed between 11 and 12 on school nights
- Almost 60% of secondary students report that they “Often” or “Sometimes” feel sleepy while at school
- Over one third (34.8%) of all secondary students report that they stay up past the point when they feel like they should be asleep at least 3 times per week
- Non-school related screen time (TV, messaging friends, surfing the internet) is very common among secondary students
I encourage you to read the full survey results and have a discussion with your child about their sleep habits. Click here and here for research-based information about how much sleep teens should be getting and tips for how to get them more sleep.